Stephen Sutton

“My heart is bursting with pride but breaking with pain for my courageous, selfless, inspirational son”. These are the words penned by Stephen Sutton’s mother shortly after he passed away last Wednesday following a four-year battle with cancer.

Choosing to announce his death via his much followed Facebook page, Jane Sutton went on to say that the “ongoing support and outpouring of love for Stephen will help greatly at this difficult time”.

Losing a 19-year old to the disease is beyond tragic but it is Stephen’s cheerful defiance for which he will be remembered. Refusing to let the disease define him he simply stated, “Cancer sucks, but life is great”.

Stephen’s fundraising has grown beyond what he, or anyone else could have imagined. Originally aiming to raise £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, the teenager’s page currently shows that he has raised almost 400% of that initial target; £3.9million and it’s still rising.

Efforts which will undoubtedly transform the lives of some of the 2,200 teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

With talks of a documentary detailing Stephen’s quest to complete his bucket list, a memorial in his hometown of Burntwood, Staffordshire and calls for Birmingham Children’s hospital to be renamed in his memory, Stephen will live on in the hearts of many for years to come.